It's Cold But I'm Always Warm
by Armo-chick
Summary: Every day for far too long, Sherlock has had the desire to be with his beloved who lived next door. But once he reveals his true desires, will she reciprocate them or will she throw it all away?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Hello my fellow readers! So since this is my first story I've posted on this site, I just wanted to let you know that I'm very excited for you to have a read of it and I would love feedback too! Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story except for Will (whom you will read about very soon ;)) **

**Chapter 1:**

It was a cold autumn's day and the air was thick with the smell of moist grass and bark. The ground was cold and wet from the rain that poured down last night and all Sherlock wanted to do was head back home and sleep in his 'probably now cold' bed. Everything about this day looked to be cold and boring. Not to mention all the mud.

That was until he arrived at work and was instructed by one of his colleagues that he was to report to his manager. Sherlock was glad for the detour as he was not ready for any physical labour just yet.

As he walked into the log which was his manger's office, he was greeted by the secretary.

"Hey there, Sherlock! Come to see me I suppose?", she said with a twinkle in her eye as she leaned forward on the desk and placed her paws under her chin, googling her eyes up at Sherlock and wiggling her whiskers at him. Sherlock could tell that she had gone through some effort this morning to look good as she had combed her fur and her whiskers looked straighter than ever.

"You always take your chances don't you miss Adler", replied Sherlock a bit dryly. He wasn't in the mood for her flirting this morning. Or any morning in fact. She just didn't seem to take a hint.

"Always my dear", she replied just as flirtatiously as before. "And how many times have I told you. Call me Irene."

"Look miss Adler. Irene. I'm really not in the mood for your games this morning. Can I just go in please?"

Irene looked down disappointedly and gestured with her paw without looking up. "Sure, go right in."

"Thanks", said Sherlock as he walked past her. He felt sorry for her but how else could he show her he wasn't interested? It wasn't exactly a win win situation. And anyway, he had more complicated things to worry about.

But before he had any time to worry about them, he was already in his manager's office, waiting for him to finish a phone call.

"Yes, I'm sending a team over as soon as possible. Don't worry it'll be cleared up in no time. Thank you for your cooperation. Goodbye." And he hung up the phone. "Ah, Sherlock! Just the man I was looking for. Do sit down. Shall I make some tea?" He asked as he was already up making some tea for himself.

"No, thank you Mycroft. Already had some tea this morning", answered Sherlock.

"Very well", said Mycroft as he brought his tea over and sat down at his mahogany desk. Mycroft was a lanky but tall otter with dark brown fur, almost black, and razor sharp claws. Some people say that's how he got his position. By showing off his claws to anyone who got in his way. But once you got to know him, you'd find he was quite charming, completely harmless and something of a softy. Especially when he wore his reading glasses.

"Now then, on to business", said Mycroft as he took a sip of his tea and put it back in its saucer. "There has been an incident at the dam. Last night during the storm, a tree fell onto the lap pool and well the young otters, or shall I say pups, are unable to train until we can remove it. I have already sent a team of workers out but I wanted you to join them as you've had much experience in this field of work. So what do you say? Will you go?"

Sherlock's breathing began to increase and his heartbeat began to rise. This was just the perfect opportunity to see her. He couldn't believe that he could be this lucky. Especially to be selected out of such a diverse group of excellent workers. He could barely contain his excitement.

"Of course!" He sputtered out. "I mean, ahem, of course." He said more composed.

"Good! Then you can head straight there. I know you already know your way so I'll leave you to it." He said as he stood up and reached out his paw.

Sherlock took his paw in his own and shook it.

"Thank you again Mycroft."

"My pleasure. Have a good morning."

And with that, Sherlock released his paw and walked out of his office, jogged rather as he didn't wish to make any more awkward conversation with miss Adler that morning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

As he approached the dam, he surveyed the area and saw exactly where the damage was. The entire lap pool was blocked by a massive pine tree that had been struck by lightening last night and had no other choice but to collapse. Thankfully, no one was hurt. There was a perimeter set around the lake which allowed only the otters there who were working to enter. There were heavy machinery present at the site which Sherlock guessed would be used to pull the tree aside once enough chords were attached around the tree to secure it.

As he scanned the area to see what he could do, his eyes fell onto a very familiar set of eyes. He could tell whom they belonged to from miles away. Deep, dark brown but when the light hit them at the right angle, hazelnut coffee that just made you feel so warm inside.

But then those eyes tore away from his and he felt cold again. He shook his head to gather his thoughts once more and tend to the job at hand.

During all this commotion, a large crowd had gathered, watching expectantly, waiting until that moment where the massive log would be lifted. However, the crowd was the last thing on Sherlock's mind because he was thinking about only one otter watching. The only otter that mattered.

About an hour passed and still the team were tying some chords and machines to be able to pull the tree back. It was tedious, but knowing that she was watching made it all the more worth it for Sherlock. He hoped she would notice his defined muscles as he attached chords to different parts of the tree. Now Sherlock wasn't one to brag but he didn't exactly look like your average otter. He was quite tall and his body was toned pretty good from all that physical exertion in his line of work and even though he didn't really care about his physical appearance, he couldn't deny that he had a pretty good figure. His fur was also a dark brown but he had a line of light brown running from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. Overall, he would say he was quite satisfied with this physical appearance, but he didn't want her to only notice him for his looks. He wanted her to see the real him. But how could he show that to her when he had no opportunity to talk to her?

Who was she?

Her name was Molly Hooper and she was probably the most gorgeous otter he had ever had the pleasure of meeting. She had beautiful light brown fur all over her body, the most perfect set of teeth and by far Sherlock's favourite feature, the most warm, delicate, hypnotic eyes he had ever beheld. She also had a rockin' body as she was a swimming instructor and seeing her in action was something he always looked forward to seeing. He loved watching the way she shook the water out of her fur whenever she walked out of the lake. But there was also something so sweet and innocent about her that always captured Sherlock. Maybe it was because she was so gentle, caring and patient when it came to teaching her students. Or the way she smiled at him with those razor sharp teeth whenever he had a chance to see her in the mornings. Maybe it was all of these things put together. Either way Sherlock was absolutely smitten by her.

She had been Sherlock's neighbour for about 4 months now and every day since she moved in, Sherlock tried to come up with a way to talk to her but would chicken out every single time. It got to a point where he just gave up but he didn't stop beating himself up every day for being such a coward.

When it came to the lady otters, Sherlock knew he had what it takes. Miss Adler made that quite clear. But it wasn't about being noticed by all those lady otters. It was about being noticed by one lady otter in particular, and he didn't care how it happened. Just as long as he got an opportunity to talk to Molly. 'As if seeing her in the mornings every day isn't opportunity enough', thought Sherlock with disdain for his cowardice.

Another hour passed and just when Sherlock was starting to feel the fatigue, they had tied enough chords around the tree and were all set to pull it back. As everyone got into position, they counted down and the machines powered up and began to pull the tree back. At first it didn't look like it was going to work but then the tree started to move and some of the leaves that had remained on the tree began to fall into the dam.

It was working. The tree would soon be out of the way and everyone's lives would go back to being normal. And Sherlock would miss yet another opportunity to talk to Molly.

Once the tree was fully out of the way, a signal was given that the coast was clear and everyone started to shout and cheer. The perimeter set up was still enforced until a couple of minutes so that they could move all the machinery out of the way and make sure the tree wouldn't roll back into the lake.

However, one of the pups, thinking it was okay, jumped into the water and started swimming in the lap pool. Just as he started swimming his first lap, there was a loud snapping sound and before anyone could see what happened, a thick piece of the tree's branch that was suspended in the air, fell into the dam and created a massive wave that pushed the little otter out of the lap pool and into the deep water where the current was strong. Since this otter was young and still learning how to swim, he could not swim back to land and instead got caught in the current on the other side of the dam.

Sherlock didn't waste a moment. As soon as he saw the branch break, he grabbed an extra chord lying on the ground, dived into the water and went after the pup. Sherlock, being quite a skilled swimmer himself, powered through the current to reach the little otter. Sherlock could see he was struggling to stay afloat and pushed through the water even harder.

It was at about that point that he sensed a presence near him in the water. He turned his head to see that it was no other than Molly swimming beside him. She took one look at Sherlock and nodded and he nodded back and they both started to kick faster in the water to try and reach the little one.

As Sherlock had had to travel many places for his work, he pretty much knew the forest like the back of his hand. And having this knowledge allowed him to recollect that this current led to no other place than the Reichenbach Falls which was one of the largest waterfalls in the surrounding region. He didn't know if Molly was aware but that wasn't important at the moment. Sherlock was focused on only one thing; saving the pup from the Falls, even if it meant he had to take the fall for him.

Sherlock could tell that they were approaching the waterfall as the current grew wilder and stronger but he was already kicking at full speed and was barely catching up to the little one as was Molly. He needed to get a little closer in order to have a good shot at throwing the chord so the pup could catch it. But it was no good, the current was dragging them in different directions and it was difficult for Sherlock and Molly to stay on course.

That's when Sherlock saw it. The Falls. He had to hurry up and do something. There were many rocks sticking out from under the water. Thankfully, the pup was able to grab onto one, but it didn't look like he could hold on for very long.

"Help me! Please!", the pup cried from the rock he was holding on to. The rock was slowly coming out of place and Sherlock couldn't grab onto it knowing any more pressure would pull it out of the water. He quickly latched onto a different rock a few meters behind and began tying the chord that he still had with him around it. Molly was right on his webbed heels and once she got a hold, she helped him tie the chord to the rock. Once it was tied securely, Sherlock tied the other end around his wet, furry body.

"What are you planning to do?", Molly asked looking very concerned and Sherlock couldn't tell whether the concern was for him or for the pup on the edge of the waterfall, clutching on for dear life. Maybe it was for both.

"I haven't quite figured it out yet", answered Sherlock. "But it'll probably be dangerous."

As he prepared himself to jump for the pup, Molly grabbed his paw and he turned to look at her. Her eyes were watery which Sherlock was sure was not a factor caused by the swimming. These were tears of concern for his safety. Did she really care for him? Maybe not as much as he cared for her but still, could it be true that Molly actually did care for him?

Possibly, but he couldn't dwell on that now. So giving a quick squeeze with his paw with Molly's paw still in his, he suddenly released her and jumped after the pup.

Just as he was flying through the air and about to reach the pup, the rock that the pup was holding onto gave way and he and Sherlock both disappeared behind the waterfall.

Molly's eyes went from concern to sudden devastation. "No", she breathed out. "No, no, no...". She wanted to see for sure if they didn't make it but if she went any closer, she too would've fallen off the cliff. She just remained where she was, completely devastated that there was nothing she could do.

Then suddenly she looked at the chord and saw that it was taut and quickly started to pull the chord in the opposite direction. As she pulled it back, she hoped to see them both on the other end. She couldn't stand the thought of losing either one of them.

Just when she thought she couldn't pull anymore, she saw a figure emerging from the Falls. Her heart skipped a beat from joy but also from heartbreak, conceding that she had lost the pup to the Falls. But as she continued to pull, Sherlock's figure turned and she saw the pup nestled safely in his arms.

She gave a sigh of relief as she continued to pull them closer to the rock with renewed strength. With one last tug, she finally managed to help them up the rock and bring them to safety.

As soon as Sherlock's webbed feet touched the rock, Molly attacked him with a massive hug that threatened to throw them back into the current. Thankfully, he had a good grip and was able balance himself and slowly return the hug with one arm as the pup was still in his other arm.

Molly pulled away and Sherlock could see a different kind of water pulling in her eyes. Tears of joy one might say.

"Thank you so much Sherlock! You were so brave to do that."

He wanted to say 'I did it for you' but thought otherwise since it was not the time or place for such talk. "Well, it was nothing. Just doing my job", was all he could say.

"No, it wasn't nothing Sherlock. You saved one of my students. If there's anything I can do for you, you will let me know won't you?"

'Anything' thought Sherlock. Well how about we start by going on a date? And then after that, we can get to know each other a bit better... no stop it! You can't just daydream like that. You need to give her an answer!'

"Yeah, of course", he said. And that was all that came out. 'Damn it!', he thought. 'Why can't I just ask her?! Maybe not here. Wait until we get back.'

And with that being said, they crossed through the current and onto land and walked the way back. Even skilled swimmers like Molly and Sherlock wouldn't be able to swim against this current, not to mention they were already fatigued from all that swimming.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Once they got back, a whole lot of otters and other creatures came running towards them, shouting and screaming things like "Well done!" and "Thank goodness you're all safe!". It was quite overwhelming for all three of them.

Molly suddenly stood on her tip-webbed-toes and shouted in Sherlock's ear saying "I'll go find the pups' parents. You can give him to me if you like." Sherlock, not realising that he had been holding the pup this whole time, gave him over to Molly and watched her squeeze her way through the crowd of creatures to try and find his parents.

As Sherlock stood there watching her move away from him, he realised he missed his opportunity and let her slip away. Again. He can't keep letting this happen! What if one day, she meets another man otter who is brave enough to ask her out and she accepts? And what if she loves him and one day decides to marry him? As he thought about this, everything else seemed to blur out of vision and sound as he contemplated never being able to ask her on that date he had been meaning to ask her for so long. And probably never being able to touch her or love her as she would be completely out of his reach.

Thinking about all these 'what ifs' suddenly knocked some confidence into Sherlock. He realised he couldn't let that happen, and he wouldn't.

Unlike Molly who struggled to squeeze through the crowd, Sherlock bulldozed his way past everyone until he reached Molly but abruptly stopped as he saw she was talking to a man and a woman, no doubt the pups parents. He waited till she finished her conversation with them until he could approach her. As he stood watching, he saw Molly kiss the mother on her cheek and do the same to the father and also kissed the pup on the top of his head. Granted she had participated in saving the pups life and was also his swimming instructor, but that was still unusual intimacy towards this family.

When she said her goodbyes, she turned and saw Sherlock watching her and approached him.

"Hey Sherlock. Is something the matter?"

He didn't know how to start. His tongue just lay still in his mouth, rebelling against his brain from producing any words. It was getting a bit weird now as Sherlock kept opening his mouth and closing it when no words came out. He could see that Molly was feeling a little awkward so he gave his head a shake and forced his tongue to move.

"Umm...", he said, not quite knowing how to start. "You know how you said before that if there's anything you could do for me, I could ask you?"

"Yes, of course", she said while nodding her head.

"Well... there is something you can do for me. Well more like... with me. I guess... what I'm trying to say Molly is... is that... would you... ahem..." And the rest came out as a fast, drawn out word "would-you-like-to-go-on-a-date-with-me?", he sputtered out, holding his breath the entire time.

Molly looked confused like he spoke a different language just then. "Sorry what was that last part Sherlock?"

"Oh umm I guess I was just wondering if..." 'Come on! Be a man!', and he released his breath that he didn't know he was holding and spoke with more composition. "If you wanted to go on a date with me."

"Oh, right, haha", Molly could see he was very nervous in asking, but she was happy he did. "I would love to", she said with a giddy smile.

"Really?"

"Haha of course", she said with some amusement still wearing that cute smile. "When and where did you want to go?"

"Umm, to be honest, I hadn't thought that far ahead", he answered honestly. "How about... This Saturday night?"

Her face suddenly fell. "Oh, I can't. I'm having dinner with my sister's family then." And then an idea came to her and she spoke with renewed excitement. "But you're more than welcome to come. I can tell my sister you'll be coming. I'm sure she won't mind since you saved her son today."

Sherlock's facial expression suddenly changed going from confusion at first to complete understanding. "Ohhhhh that was your sister! That makes so much sense!"

"Haha yeah we don't look much alike so it's hard to tell." Her face changed from amusement to questioning, but she still adorned that beautiful smile the whole time. "So will you come? I know that my sister and brother-in-law would love for you to be there. Especially young Will."

Sherlock looked away, considering what he should say.

"And also... I'd like it very much if you were there too", she said with a measured amount of bravery as her cheeks appeared to flush a bright pink. It seemed both Sherlock and Molly were being quite brave today, not mention the whole saving Will part.

As soon as she said that, Sherlock's head whipped up to hers and they locked eyes, trying to understand one another. But it was difficult as they barely knew each other but this was the perfect opportunity for the both of them to find out more about one other.

Sherlock slowly broke a smile onto his face. "Only if your sister is okay with it."

"Absolutely! I'm sure she will be", Molly said with the biggest smile he had seen yet.

"Then it's settled. Let me know whenever you can."

"Will do. Well I better get back to training the pups. If I delay anymore, they'll probably fire me."

"Yeah I better get back to work too. It was nice talking to you though. I'll hopefully see you soon?", he asked not wanting the conversation to end.

"I'm sure you will", she said as she walked away. Sherlock sensed a hint of playfulness in her tone of voice which made his heart pump a little faster than usual, which didn't seem to let up even once she was out of sight.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Sherlock fidgeted with this tie, trying to make it as straight and immaculate as possible. The good thing about being an otter was that you only had to worry about how your fur looked and what tie one would wear for special occasions. How humans went along their lives constantly having pieces of clothing attached to their bodies all day Sherlock did not understand.

As he sprayed some cologne on, he saw that his paws were shaking a bit and tried to stop it by clenching them. He looked at himself in the mirror and wondered what this shaky, furry otter had done to be so lucky as to meet another that was so absolutely breathtaking and stunning. He still couldn't process the events that passed a couple of days ago, especially the part where Molly invited him to dinner.

She had come by the day before yesterday to say that Mary was more than happy for the 'saviour' of her son to have dinner with them. But Sherlock didn't really care about anyone else at that moment because he was finally conversing with the otter that took up the entirety of his thoughts at any free moment. And sometimes busy moments too.

His heart started beating fast as usual whenever he thought of Molly and before he could grow any more nervous, he took one more look in the mirror, ran a shaky paw through the fur on his head and walked out the door with flowers in paw.

He didn't have long to walk as Molly was right next door. This came as a benefit to Sherlock so that he wouldn't have time to over think the whole situation. By the time he processed this thought, he was at Molly's doorstep. Now all he had to do was ring the doorbell.

'Come on! What's wrong with you? Just ring the bloody doorbell!'

With a not so sturdy paw, he reached out and rang the bell, which he could hear sounded throughout the burrow.

He heard footsteps approaching the door. Before he knew it, the door creaked open and there was Molly standing before him, looking even more gorgeous than usual, if that was even possible. She was wearing a pearl necklace with a bit of lipstick which made her lips look more plump.

"Hi Sherlock! I'm so glad you could make it."

"Well, I'm glad to be here." He paused for a bit not knowing what to say but never breaking eye contact.

"Oh, by the way, these are for you", he said and handed her the flowers.

"Oh, wow, thank you. They're lovely", she said gratefully as she brought the flowers close to her nose and smelt the fragrance coming off them.

"I'm sorry, I'm being rude. Please come in", and she stood aside and let Sherlock enter her home.

Her burrow looked similar to Sherlock's as the dirt was the same texture but there was something about this home that felt warm, rather than his cold, dank burrow that never allowed any warmth to enter. Maybe her burrow got more exposure to the sun during the day and therefore was warmer at night. Or maybe Sherlock should stop kidding himself and realise that it's because it's Molly's house and only that reason.

"Sherlock allow me to introduce my guests. This is my sister Mary, her husband John and their son Will."

Mary was dressed very simply but elegantly adorning a plane gold necklace with a jewel hanging off the bottom and matching earrings with a diamond ring on her ring finger. John also had a ring on his finger but it wasn't nearly as sparkly as Mary's. He also wore a tie like Sherlock but his tie was checkered while Sherlock's was plain black. And then there was little Will. He was much shorter than the rest of the party but his fur was just as shaggy as Sherlock's and he wore a big grin on his face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all", said Sherlock as he shook hands with John and Mary. He then crouched low to the ground and came face to face with Will.

"Hello there Will. Do you remember me?" Will nodded his head very rapidly as he continued to grin at Sherlock. Sherlock couldn't help but grin back at this little pup whom he had come to develop a soft spot for since his rescue. He then tussled the pups hair and got back up to his full length.

"Well, since you all know each other now, I think we should sit down for some dinner", said Molly in her bright, cheerful voice.

The Watson's led the way to the dinner table as Molly diverted to another room to probably find a vase to put her flowers in. When she came back, she didn't come empty handed as she brought a tray with her. Mary helped as the two women came and went from the kitchen bringing all sorts of delicious food like fish, frog legs, crayfish and Sherlock's favourite crabs.

Once all the food was set, Mary took her spot next to her husband and Molly sat beside Sherlock. Little Will who still required some attention during meal times sat in between his parents so that his mother could help him eat.

"Dig in!", said Molly as they all began to take some of everything and eat to their hearts content. There was much pleasant conversation that night, ranging from where they all work to how John met Mary and also a re-telling of the brave rescue by Sherlock and Molly.

As Sherlock sat there eating such delicious food and laughing and enjoying the company of these otters, he thought of how he would have loved to have had a family like the Watson's. Such loving, gentle and kindhearted people in comparison to his family. He never knew his father and his mother left him at a young age when he was just a pup. Everything during his childhood was a bit of a blur. That is until he met Mycroft who took him in like a brother and took care of him. Once Sherlock was old enough and had saved up enough money, he bought his own burrow which he resides in now. The very one that allowed him to meet the breathtaking otter who was sitting right next to him.

They continued talking throughout the night but eventually it became late and was time for the Watson's to leave so they could put their young pup to sleep. After they left and said their goodbyes, Sherlock was left with Molly. Completely alone.

He could have just thanked her for the night and left like the Watson's but, truth be told, he didn't want to because this was the moment he had been waiting for since his first meeting her. To finally be alone with Molly Hooper.

But now that he was here, he didn't really know what to do or say.

"Well what did you think?"

"Huh?", said Sherlock, being interrupted in mid thought.

"What did you think? Of my family?"

"Oh right! Umm yeah they're very nice. Much nicer than my family I'll tell you."

"What's your family like?"

Sherlock didn't really know what to say. He wasn't expecting the conversation to take that turn.

"Not like yours", and that's all he said.

Molly could see this was a sensitive topic for Sherlock and didn't push him further instead she put her paw on his shoulder in a comforting manner that made Sherlock's heart beat faster than usual and his breathing increase.

"I'm sorry for asking. My curiosity is unfortunately one of my weaknesses."

Sherlock turned to look at her and found himself staring into the warmest, most welcoming, delicate eyes he had ever beheld and he couldn't seem to look away. Not that he wanted to anyway. She didn't seem to be looking away either and so they both just stood there, eyes locked.

"Umm...", Molly, realising it was getting a little awkward, took her paw off his arm and began fiddling with her fur. "Would you like some tea or coffee?"

"I'll have some tea, thanks."

"Sure thing", said Molly and fast walked into the kitchen. Once there, she attempted to control the wild, uncontrollable beating that was her heart but failed miserably.

'Oh Sherlock! If only you knew", she thought to herself as she began looking for her tea bags and mugs. 'Maybe I should just tell him and end this stupid nonsensical daydreaming. I mean it's not like you'll get another opportunity like this again so soon. I don't even know why he stuck around and didn't just leave with the Watson's. I mean why would he want to hang around with me? Me! Molly! And him... Sherlock... In all his 2 foot 3 glory... With his dark brown fur... And-'

"Crap!", exclaimed Molly as she dropped one of the mugs on the floor. She quickly bent down to pick up the pieces, mentally scolding herself for getting distracted with thinking of Sherlock.

"Is everything alright?"

"Crap!", she exclaimed again, adding an "ouch" to the end. Sherlocks' sudden presence in the kitchen caught Molly by surprise and she managed to cut her paw on one of the larger, sharp pieces of the remaining mug.

"Oh, no. You're bleeding", said Sherlock with a little too much concern in his voice.

"It's fine. It's not very deep. I should cover it though to stop the bleeding."

"Right. Where do you keep your first aid kit?"

"In the top cupboard on the right."

As Sherlock was rummaging for the first aid kit, Molly quickly stuck her paw under the tap and allowed the running water to rinse most of the blood, wincing at first to the cold rush of water.

"We should disinfect that. Just in case."

"Yeah, sure", replied Molly as she turned the tap off after a few minutes of dousing it in the cold water.

"Here give me your paw", ordered Sherlock as he prepared the disinfectant. With one paw holding her wrist, he began applying the disinfectant with his other. Molly had never seen Sherlock so focused on a task. His very strokes on her paw as he gently applied the disinfectant were so calculated, like he was afraid he would rip the wound open even more. His paws looked so coarse. The very hands a man working with heavy machinery would have. And yet his strokes were so gentle and delicate. Like a butterfly batting its wings against her flesh.

However, for Sherlock, he guessed that that was probably what it would feel like to perform open heart surgery. He didn't want to cause her any more discomfort than what she was already experiencing. And at the same time, he was thrilled just being able to be this close with her.

As he finished applying the disinfectant and reached into the first aid kit for a bandage, he couldn't help but rub her wrist in a comforting manner, like it was second nature to him. He didn't realise he started doing it until he did it. He quickly sneaked a look to see Molly's reaction and felt a little rejected to see that it made her look confused as she stared at his paw on her wrist.

'Get a hold of your body Sherlock! Before it makes you do anything else you'll regret!'

As he withdrew his paw from Molly's wrist, he didn't expect to hear what she said next.

"Don't stop. That feels nice."

Sherlock stopped looking for a bandage and turned to look at her.

"Really?" He wanted to ask 'you don't hate the fact that I'm touching you right now' but thought otherwise.

"Really", she smiled that big, beautiful smile that always knocks Sherlock's brain unconscious. During his mental unconsciousness, his body once again reacted of its own accord and he leaned in and kissed Molly. A small peck which only lasted about a second but seemed much longer for both Sherlock and Molly.

"What was that?", asked Molly, frozen in place.

"Umm... Uhh... Forget it. Pretend like I never did it."

"Wait why? Didn't you like it?"

"What? No I did. But I don't think you did."

"What?!" And this blurt from Molly completely shocked Sherlock. "Me? Why would I not like it?"

"Umm I don't know. I just thought you weren't into me like the way I'm into you."

"Sooo if you thought that, why did you kiss me? Why risk it?"

And at that moment, all Sherlock wanted to do was tell the truth.

"Because I'd rather live in a world where I know I tried to win your affection rather than cowering with tail between my legs." He finally said. And it felt good. If only Sherlock knew how much relief he would get after telling Molly how he felt about her. He would've done it ages ago.

These words touched Molly and without realising, tears began to flood her eyes and she had to blink to get rid of them.

"What happened? Is your wound hurting more?", asked Sherlock with concern, looking down at her paw and then turning to once again rummage through the first aid kit to find a bandage.

Molly just shook her head while smiling at Sherlock's naivety. Without warning, she reached out her arm, yanked his head back to her and kissed him. Sherlock, too shocked at first to realise what just happened, remained frozen. But once the kiss deepened, Sherlock wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her with all the built up passion he had for her up till this point. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling her paws in his thick, fuzzy fur, finally knowing what it feels like to touch and taste him.

Suddenly, Molly withdrew from him.

"What? What happened?"

"I'm sorry!", she quickly apologised. "I forgot my paw was still bleeding and now... you've got blood all over your fur."

Sherlock just laughed. "Oh, no. That's not good at all", he said with a hint of playfulness. "Well, maybe we can have a bath later and you can wash it off", he teased by licking his lips.

"Ha! In your dreams otter", scoffed Molly.

She tried to get up, but Sherlock grabbed her good paw and flung her back onto his lap where he proceeded to passionately kiss her once again which Molly had no objections to whatsoever.

**Well that's all readers! Hope you enjoyed reading this! I would love feedback as this is my first story I've ever posted so don't be shy :) Till next time! **


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